The town of Marana and the Cortaro-Marana Irrigation District
are nearing an agreement that would transfer ownership of seven
productive water wells from CMID to the town.

Dan Post, chairman of the CMID board, said the seven wells are
not among the high-volume irrigation wells that make up about 45
percent of the district's well inventory. Rather, they are lower
volume wells sufficient for domestic water purposes.

"They didn't fit into our irrigation needs, so we're selling
them to the town," he said.

Town manager Gilbert Davidson said last week the town remains in
negotiations with the CMID on the purchase of the wells. He expects
the deal to be done before the end of May.

While declining to give an exact purchase price for the wells,
Davidson conceded the price would be in "seven figures," and added,
"the ultimate number will be fair to both organizations based on
the value of the deal and resolving the outstanding issues over the
years."

CMID has had an intergovernmental agreement with the town since
1997 to provide wholesale water to the town's water system. That
agreement, said Post, was mutually terminated in January of this
year.

"The town felt it needed to produce its own water and didn't
need to be tied to us," Post said of the agreement's end. "The
agreement was that as we transitioned from agriculture to urban,
the loss of sales to farmers would be made up by increased sales to
urban areas, but that didn't happen as fast as we thought it would.
Our expenses to produce water for them (Marana) were in proportion
to the volumes we were selling them, but to cover our costs we
would have had to raise our price more than they could afford."

Davidson called the IGA termination a way "to afford the town
the opportunity to do the things we need to do as a community."

Dorothy O'Brien, assistant utilities director for the town, said
Marana decided to pursue purchase of the wells for added capacity,
redundancy and their locations.

"The town has relied on these wells as potable water sources
since the 1997 agreement and now we're purchasing those assets,"
she said.

The wells being purchased include two irrigation wells and two
domestic wells in the Cortaro Road – Continental Ranch area,
producing 1,800, 1,240, 300 and 225 gallons per minute. Another
well in west Marana off Sandario Road produces 650 gpm, one in east
Marana, 500 gpm, and one on Avra Valley Road, 50 gpm.

CMID has more than 50 remaining wells, serving both domestic and
irrigation requirements.

According to Post, the Cortaro Water Users Association, which is
the operating body of the CMID, originally put up the seed money to
incorporate the town of Marana to help protect the area's water
resources so they wouldn't be lost to the city of Tucson.

"Farmers have as much at stake in making the town successful as
anyone else," Post said. "We're vitally interested in the success
of the town, and water is a key to that success. We have
substantial water rights and are willing to share with the town at
appropriate compensation to the district."

Davidson said he expects the town will continue to have a good
relationship with CMID, especially as other water issues develop in
the coming years.

"There are issues of flood control, supplying water to public
areas, working with homeowners associations and electrical power
that we can explore with CMID," Davidson said.

He noted small amounts of hydropower can be created from canals
where small turbines generate green, renewable energy.

"If we were able to apply some of the one megawatt of hydropower
we already receive to public facilities, parks or street lighting,
there might be some opportunities for CMID with their hydropower as
well," Davidson said.

Council members Herb Kai and Jon Post have recused themselves
from discussions regarding CMID and the town of Marana.

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Tucson Local Media photographer J.D. Fitzgerald, right, shoots a simulation gun in reaction to a situation during a training put on by the Pima County Sheriff’sDepartment. PCSD invited members of the media to their training center on South Rita Road to further their understanding of use of force protocols. Mediamembers were given a 90-minute lesson on the policies, ethics and laws regarding use of force. To read the full story and to watch the video, visit www.tucsonlocalmedia.com.